Promising Antimicrobial Activities of Malpighiaceae Family and Its Outcome for Oral Cavity Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Current medical treatments for oral infectious diseases deal with the specificity and resistance of pathogenic strains of bacteria, fungi and viruses, thus, novel substances are necessary for use as effective drugs. Plants have been a source of active chemical agents since ancient times; however, in the case of Malpighiaceae, a flowering plant family that possesses secondary metabolites that have exhibited a variety of pharmacological effects with promising results, its study still remains pendent. Since the importance of oral infections on global human health and its impact in the complications of patients with some chronic conditions, the present contribution has as objective to provide an overview of the extracts and active constituents isolated from species belonging to the Malpighiaceae family, to emphasize their activities against bacteria, fungi and viruses during recent years and their potential impact on the pathogens of the oral cavity. In the same manner, we explore the possible future development of dosage forms of potential products obtained from Malpighiaceae.